Basic Vietnamese

Basic Vietnamese is a free, interactive online textbook from Michigan State University Libraries, written for true beginners and low-novice learners.

You start with a solid pronunciation block that covers the alphabet, tones, vowels, and consonants, then move into 15 everyday topics like greetings, numbers, time, family, food, shopping, and transportation. Each chapter follows a predictable pattern with conversations, vocabulary, grammar, culture notes, and extra practice, so it’s easy to study on your own.

It works best if you want a structured, textbook-style path with lots of reading and listening support, and you like learning through examples plus clear explanations. What it does not give you is real conversation feedback from a teacher, and it does not clearly label a specific dialect focus, so you may want to pair it with a tutor or dialect-specific audio as you progress. Start here: Basic Vietnamese on MSU OpenBooks.